From the Larry Lawrence Files

https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/american-roadracing-in-golden-age-factory-contingency-money

 

A good read (minus a few errors in spelling and grammar).

Thanks for the link.

 

Nice article.. brings back memories, I was there!

 

Great read.

I know it's not what it used to be, But my buddy Stefano Mesa made enough Kawasaki contingency this year to get himself a new ZX-10 for 2018.

Would love to see more manufacturers offering contingency!

 

I remember the days of Jensen, Wood, and Denning showing up at VIR or Summit to clean up all the contingency. Denning would have two or three bikes, depending on the prize money that weekend. I would have loved to seen it in the 80s & 90s.

 

Larry posted it to his FB page last night .
I started road racing in when it was just about at it's peak.
Miss those days for sure . Made just enough contingency money in endurance racing to keep doing it until there was none

 

That was great! Thanks for sharing.

 

Great read! The reason I went out and bought a FJ1100. Still remember the sensation of the first ride..."like riding a milk stool at 120 mph!" Now it's my sport tourer...my how times have changed.

 

Good time to be club racing. I remember the first time I saw Polen at TGPR. It was 87, everyone there knew we were going to see something different that day. Scott Russell was a new expert, having been bumped up from novice a few race weekends in to the season. It was a back forth in B race with Scott pulling off the win. Polen returned the favor winning the A race. Those were good days. The pure number of fast guys was amazing. Going out during practice with some of those guys was an eye opening learning experience too. I never realized how much speed you could carry in the old sweeper at TGPR, until Scott Russell blew by during practice. I think he was already on the front straightaway before I exited the sweeper. LOL

 

I went expert for the 88 season racing BSB and Formula on Harths old FZ750 superbike. Yamaha was paying good money then for those classes, $500,300,100 for any WERA National. I made approx $3.5k of just Yamaha $ that first expert season racing in the SE. Made all the difference in the world for a young guy, new 2x parent, new house note, etc.

 

I started in 95 in part to the Yamaha FZR600 -novice- Challenge. $500 to win on what could be a 7 year old, replaced model. Seems like they paid to 10th? Maybe only top 5 for the regional stuff though.. Anyway, I scored $1500 that year that paid nearly half of my race expenses. Entries, gas, tires, etc. I could've made more had I the knowledge that just because your bike has a fancy shock from Ohlins, doesn't mean that proper adjustments or a sufficient nitrogen charge is required for said shock, mattered so much.

 

I miss those days. What I made a couple of seasons wouldn't pay a weekend's worth of racing nowadays...

 

Psshtt... We know you never raced. Drunk Roy said so.

 

Haha! You got me there! I was just coming over here to troll this thread...I guess I'll log off for another few years. See you bitchez around '36 or so!

 

Those were interesting times. I got an FJ600 and made enough with it to buy a Fox shock, pay for tires and pay off the bike in that year. If I was on my game, I could stick it into the top 10 which didn't pay anything, so I let Phil Schmidt use it to dice it out for the win with Ed Key in C production and I would race it in non-money classes for fun. Phil and I split the money that year. It worked really well for both of us.

 

Fortunately, the non-monetary rewards from racing haven't changed.

 

Only thing bad about those times was when devil Honda introduced the Hurricane in 87. My 86 FZ600 was rendered obsolete in its second year of production. That, and Cam Roos grey market FZR400 showing up at TGPR in 87 and owning DS, made me buy a FZR400 for 88.

 

Same thing happened with the 98 GSXR600 . I spent a cubic shitload building my F2/3 Superbike.
And then did not listen to my fellow competitors who told me to get rid of it and buy a Suzuki